Somewhere Only We Know
by mrsmuppet
Summary: Blaine lives alone with his daughter. His husband left him, never to be seen again. Can he have love with Kurt, another single father? Or will something (or someone) get in the way?
1. Those Glasz Eyes

"Daddy, wake up!"

I woke up to a curly-haired bundle of joy jumping on the bed. Ava Rae was almost six, but she just couldn't shake the habit of jumping on my bed.

"What time is it?" I grumbled, hoping I wouldn't have to get up right this second. I needed sleep.

"The little hand is on six and the big hand is on seven," Ava said matter-of-factly. I smiled, despite my grogginess, remembering when I taught her how to tell time. She stopped jumping and got off the bed to stand right in my face. She poked me on my forehead with her tiny hands. "Wake up, Daddy!"

Sighing, I picked her up and carried her like a football to the kitchen, like I used to do when she was a baby. I never dropped her, thank God. Her giggles fill the whole house.

I sit her down at the kitchen counter and lean over on the other side, staring into her hazel eyes, and damn if she didn't look exactly like me. She has my eyes, my hair, and my smile. What could I say? We're adorable.

"_Not adorable enough for him to stay_," something says in the back of my mind.

I pushed that thought away so I could make my daughter some pancakes.

* * *

After Ava finished her pancakes, I packed her lunch and sat her in the car, ready for first grade. She buckled her seatbelt all by herself, and folded her hands in her lap.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, princess?" I said, pulling out of the driveway.

"When is Papa coming back?"

Her question caught me off guard. It was almost five months since James left, and I missed him like hell. _I can't do this anymore, Blaine,_ he says to me in my head. _I have to leave. Don't look for me. Lima is too small for my dreams. _The whole fight came flooding back to me, a memory I had been trying to suppress, at least around Ava. Whether she knew it or not, we only had each other. She could not see me cry. Ever.

_**I thought we were your dream! This isn't about me, James. What about our daughter? Ava needs you.**_

_You and I both know Ava Rae is not my daughter. She's yours, and she'll be fine without me._

_**Is that what this is about? She is just as much yours as she is mine, James! **_

_It's not about Ava Rae. It's about me. I'm going. You can't stop me._

**_Don't go. Please._**

I couldn't break her fragile heart. I couldn't. But it would only come back to bite me in the rear if I lied to her now.

"Daddy?" Ava's small voice interrupted my thoughts. "Is Papa coming back?"

"I don't know, baby. But I do know this: I will always be here for you, and I'm not going anywhere. You will always have me, okay?"

I looked into the rear view mirror into her angelic face. Her face was not sad, more like understanding. God, she was the strongest first grader you'd ever meet. I'd like to think she got it from me.

"Okay, Daddy." But it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Repeat after me," I said. "I, Ava Rae Anderson..."

"I, Ava Rae Anderson," she repeated, raising her right hand and smiling that dazzling smile.

"Will always have my Daddy."

"Will always have my Daddy," she giggled.

"Good," I said as we pull into a parking spot in the parking lot of Ava's school, where I just so happened to work as the music teacher.

I unbuckled her seat belt and helped her out of the car seat.

"But, Daddy?" Ava asked curiously. I tucked a strand of curls behind her hair and re-buttoned her blue cardigan.

"Yes, princess?"

"Papa didn't leave because of me, right?" That question sure did break my heart into even more little pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if it was already crushed into powder. Damn that James.

"Of course not, Ava. Papa did not leave because of you. It is not your fault. Papa had some things that he needed to figure out, and he realized he had to leave. But none of it is your fault, and I don't want you to think that, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled again. I held her tight, more for my comfort than for her reassurance.

"Do you want me to walk in with you again?"

"Yes, please!" Ava slid her tiny hand into mine, and I hold on to it for dear life. "Guess what, Daddy?" Before I can ask, Ava answers her own question. "I made a new friend. Her name is Bella, and she lives with her Daddy, just like me."

"Oh yeah? What is she like?"

"She has brown hair, and it is long and straight, and she has pretty eyes," Ava mused. "Look! There she is! See, she's walking with her Daddy. Hey, Bella!"

"Hi, Ava!"

A little girl ran to hug Ava Rae, and honestly, it was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. There's just something about kids hugging that warms a father's heart.

"That truly is the cutest thing I have ever seen," a voice said from behind me.

"I was just thinking the same thing," I said, turning around to match the voice with a face.

Damn, if he wasn't gorgeous. He had the same shade of hair as his daughter, and the same eyes. Glasz. Probably the most attractive eye color I had ever seen. They were blue, but not exactly, and then a gray, but still bluish somehow. And he had the most amazing jaw line, lightly dusted with stubble that I bet he thought no one saw.

"Hello, there, I'm Kurt Hummel. Nice to meet you," he said, extending a perfect pale hand. I took his hand and shook it.

"Hi, I'm Blaine Anderson, nice to meet you too," I said. "You have pretty eyes," I blurt out, like the idiot I am. I mentally kicked myself.

Kurt didn't even blink, he just nodded. "Thank you, I get that a lot. Actually, your eyes are pretty, too. They're... hazel?"

"Yes, yes they are." I'm smiling in my mind. Only a gay man knows the difference between hazel and green.

"I've gotta get to work," he said glancing at his watch, "but if you could give me your number that would be great. You know, since Ava and Bella are friends now. I'm pretty sure we'll see each other very soon." Did I detect a flirt?

As if on cue, Bella walked over to Kurt and said, "Daddy? Can I go to Ava's house after school?"

"If it's alright with Mr. Anderson," Kurt said, looking at me. I nodded.

"Sure, it would be great actually. We would love to have you around, anytime."

"Great," Kurt said. "Here, put your number in my phone. I will call you after school." Kurt hands me his phone to put my number in.

"Okay, cool," I said, typing my number into his contacts. "Wait, how did you know I worked at the school?"

"No one wears novelty ties unless they teach. Judging by the treble clefs on yours, you are a..."

"Music teacher. That's cool, you have an eye for that," I said.

"I have an eye for a lot of things," Kurt says with a wink.

Damn.


	2. Sweet Staccato and Grilled Cheese

Author's Note: Yeah...you guys... i have people following my story! OMG that's so exciting!  
Yeah, so if you haven't noticed, it's kinda A/U. Kurt and Blaine never met before, though Blaine still went to Dalton and Kurt still went to McKinley. But aren't Bella and Ava Rae the cutest? I KNOW!

Okay, back to the story.

* * *

I couldn't focus in class most of that day. At least three times, I said "Kurt" instead of "clef". Hopefully my students hadn't noticed. The last thing I needed was for a student to ask me what a "treble Kurt" was. Embarrassing.

Kurt was on my mind constantly. I saw him in a way that I've never seen anyone, especially James. His eyes appeared every time I closed mine for more than two seconds. Though I'd only heard him utter a few sentences, his voice was flooding my mind. And those eyes. Dammit, those eyes. When I saw them, I experienced something. It was like a sudden realization. It was as if he was there all along, but I couldn't see him because I was too busy trying to get James to love his daughter.

I know what it's like to have a distant father. My dad doesn't exactly approve of my "lifestyle choice". Sometimes I wanted to scream, "Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm not your son!" Sometimes I wanted to run away. I didn't want my daughter to have to live through that. When Ava Rae was born, I promised myself that I would always love and never turn my back on her. In retrospect, I wish James had made the promise. I know I would've loved her regardless of a promise to myself.

My father never supported me in anything that I did. He never came to see me perform in the school play. He never came to see my show choir perform. I didn't see him in the crowd at any of my school talent shows. I think he faked an important meeting to skip my wedding. At that point, I came to realize I'd preferred it when he wasn't around. Everywhere we went together, he was trying to set me up with some girl. His boss's daughter, his friend's daughter, some girl he met at the grocery store. Desperate.

I guess I was desperate, too. But my desperation was for the love of a father.

* * *

Ava Rae was waiting for me in the school's front office, like she was supposed to at the end of every school day.

"Daddy!" she jumped up to hug me, and some of the secretaries smiled behind their desks.

"Hello, princess," I greeted her, picking her up and carrying her on my hip. " How was your day?"

"I won the contest and I got a sticker!" she beamed at me, smiling that smile that always made my day.

"Oh, that's fabulous!" I told her, and kissed her on the cheek. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Daddy, can you make me a grilled cheese?" I smiled. Grilled cheese was her favorite food. I made her one at lease twice a week.

"Okay, princess. Let's go," I said. We left the front office saying "good-bye" and "have a good weekend" to the secretaries behind their desks.

* * *

When we got home, Ava went straight to her room to do her homework. She was so cute, being all young and studious. I'd like to think she got it from me.

I was in the kitchen making Ava her grilled cheese when my phone rang on the kitchen counter. I grabbed it and tried to read the caller I.D. The area code was local, but the number was unfamiliar. I thought maybe it was a parent asking what a "treble Kurt" was.

Haha, I made a joke.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Blaine?" a familiar angelic voice answered.

Holy crap, it was Kurt. I forgot he was going to call. Sweet staccato, that voice.

"Yeah, hey Kurt! How are you?" I said, trying not to burn Ava's grilled cheese. I scooped the sandwich onto a plate.

"I'm doing well, and you?" he asked politely. Oh, look, he's polite.

"I'm doing great, I just made my daughter a grilled cheese," I said, smacking myself on the forehead. Awesome. I'd made a fool of myself in front of this man twice in one day. Even if this time it wasn't to his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you busy? I didn't mean to bother you-"

"No, no, it's okay. I was done, anyway. So..." I didn't really know what to say. I couldn't go all fan-girl... or fan-guy... fan-dude?

"Oh, right! I meant to call you to ask you what time would be a good time for Bella and I to come over. I hope you don't mind me calling, I know you're busy, being a teacher and all," he spoke quickly, like he was nervous or something. I didn't see how someone as gorgeous as him could get nervous talking to someone as ordinary as me.

"Oh, no, no, I don't usually get that busy. You know, just lesson plans and fatherly things. No big deal," I shrugged.

Kurt laughed. Oh, so his laugh had to be beautiful, too? Damn, it's not fair! "Fatherly things? Like what?"

"Oh, you know, simple things. Making grilled cheese, homework help, personal chauffeur, teddy bear, that kind of stuff," I explained.

"It comes in the job description, doesn't it?" Kurt laughed again. "So, how does tomorrow sound? Too soon? No pressure or anything-"

"Tomorrow is actually perfect. Say, noon? I can make grilled cheese for four," I joked.

"That sounds wonderful," Kurt said. I could hear the smile in his voice. "I'm going to tell Bella. She's going to be so excited! Alright, see you tomorrow, Blaine," Kurt said goodbye to me.

Well, sweet staccato.

I picked up the plate with Ava Rae's grilled cheese and brought it to her door. I knocked, something we had established a while ago.

"Come in!" Ava called. I stepped inside. She was sitting on her canopy bed, reading a picture book. I placed the grilled cheese on the table that James and I had painted before Ava was born. But I was too happy to be upset, so that thought didn't place a lump in my throat this time.

"One grilled cheese for the princess," I said, gesturing to the plate.

"Thanks, Daddy!" she smiled at me and took a big bite of her sandwich. "Who were you talking to on the phone?" Man, Ava Rae Anderson never misses anything. Once, when she got sick, I tried to put her medicine in some orange juice, but she wouldn't drink it. She was stubborn. She got that from her Papa.

That stuck a lump in my throat, despite my floaty state of happiness.

"I was talking to Bella's Daddy, and I have good news," I started.

"They're going to live with us forever and ever and Bella is going to be my sister?" she exclaimed hopefully, eyes wide.

I wish.

"No... Bella and her Daddy are coming over to spend the day with us tomorrow!" I said dramatically.

"YAY!" Ava cried.

"YAY!" I cried with her.

And that was the tragic moment that I realized I hadn't a decent thing to wear.


	3. Laughing Unicorns and Frolicking Puppies

_Get yourself together, Blaine, _I told myself. There I was, standing in front of the closet, trying to find the perfect clothes for a play date that wasn't even mine.

Baggy faded blue jeans? Uh, no. That was giving the impression that I didn't really care. Those were my Friday jeans, for casual Friday at school. Dark colored skinny jeans? Hell, no. Why did I even own those? They basically say, _these are tight but I'd still let you take them off._ I made a mental note to throw them out.

After several minutes, I decided on a gray v-neck t-shirt and regular blue jeans. Nothing too baggy, nothing too tight. I didn't want Kurt to get the wrong idea.

Or did I?

Honestly, I was still in pain about James leaving Ava Rae. I knew that man for seven years. We raised a child together. I loved him. It hurt that he could just turn him back on us. But that was five months ago. Even if I didn't want to admit it to myself, I was deep in like with Kurt. When I saw him, I realized that I didn't have to be miserable all the time. When I saw his face, I realized there was hope.

* * *

When the doorbell rang, my heart skipped a beat. I jumped up from where I was watching cartoons with Ava and got the door. Kurt and Bella were standing at my door with matching gorgeous matching smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Kurt!" I said, trying to hide the pure excitement on my face. I turned to Bella, who was holding a soccer ball. "Hi, Bella!"

"Hi!" she said. Ava Rae ran up behind me.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, trying to hug Bella around the soccer ball. Kurt smiled down at them, clearly admiring their friendship.

"Come in, come in," I said, opening the door wider to let Kurt and Bella in.

"Wow, you have a really nice house," Kurt complimented. He looked around at the pictures of the three of us on the walls. I thought I saw a curious look on his face when he found a picture of James and me. I prayed he wouldn't ask. I was hurting less, but I didn't want to have to tell the story.

Ava Rae and Bella headed out to the backyard to kick around the soccer ball.

"Thank you," I replied, trying to keep him away from those pictures. "Follow me, we can sit outside and watch them."

"Okay," Kurt agreed, taking his eyes off those painful pictures. He followed me out the back door.

"Nice day, isn't it?" I said. I sit on one of the iron benches in the yard and motion for him to sit next to me.

"Yeah, actually. I thought it was going to rain sometime soon, but I guess not," he joked. I laughed.

"You're pretty funny, Kurt."

"It helps when you have a daughter who won't stop asking you to tell her jokes," Kurt laughed. Ava Rae always does the same thing. Most the time my jokes take too long, so I just tickle her to hear her laugh.

"I agree."

"So," Kurt started. He turned to me and scooted a little closer. I could smell his cologne. Damn, he smelled good. "I want you to tell me your story. What is your life like? Who is Blaine Anderson?"

Oh, boy. Storytime.

"Well… um, my mom died when I was young. I don't really remember her that well, except that she smelled like cinnamon. My dad doesn't really like me that much," I said, looking away.

"Because you're gay?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, because I'm—wait, how did you know I'm gay?" I never told him that. Well, not directly. Though there was a possibility he could've just had an "eye" for that.

Haha, I made a joke.

"I didn't. But I do now," Kurt smiled. Sweet staccato, that smile could freeze hell and melt the North Pole. "It's okay, I'm gay, too," he reassured me.

"I kinda knew that," I told him. "You knew that my eyes are hazel, not green," I explained. We laughed.

"Oh, yeah that's how you know. Okay, continue," Kurt urged. I guessed he really wanted to know about me.

"Okay. I went to college in Columbus and I got married almost right after that. We raised a child together," I said, gesturing to Ava Rae. "And then my daughter made friends with this guy's daughter, and they came to my house and he started asking me questions."

Kurt laughed. "So, what happened to your husband?"

Dammit, Kurt. Don't ask that!

"He… um, James left a few months ago. I haven't seen him since, but legally, we're still married. Hopefully, we won't be married for long. I don't want him to think he can come back," I said. That was the first time I'd spoken to someone about James. Everything just came out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Kurt rushed, blushing. Aww, he was blushing. Oh, that's cute.

"No, no, it's okay. I needed that. It felt good," I reassured him. Actually, it did feel good. I needed to tell someone, anyway. You can't keep everything bottled up forever.

"So, Ava Rae is your biological daughter?"

"Yeah, can't you tell? She's got my adorable-ness," I joked, making puppy eyes. God! What was I doing? "But yeah, she's my biological daughter. We had a surrogate mother. I know the mother, but after a while, we stopped talking. I wonder where she went," I added, more to myself than to Kurt.

"Okay, your turn. Life story time," I said. He got to know everything about me. I should know everything about him.

"Well, my mother died when I was eight years old. I think about her all the time. She smelled like red velvet cake." As Kurt spoke, his eyes glazed over and he focused on something far away, like he was remembering. "My dad raised me after she died. He stuck up for me when the kids bullied me."

I wish I could've had a dad like that.

"I was bullied. A lot," he said. "It was the worst in high school. I was slammed into lockers, yelled at, that kind of stuff. But my dad was always there. He was my rock. So I graduated and never saw those douchebags again," he finished quickly._  
_

"I'm sorry, Kurt."

"No, it's okay. I needed that," he said, copying me. "I didn't get to finish!" Kurt whined. I laughed. Could he get any cuter?

"Be my guest," I said. I put my hands under my chin, my "story time" face.

"Well, I dated for a while when I was in college," he started. "But none of it ever worked out. So I worked hard and I became an author, which has always been my dream," he said with a smile. "My editor's name was Eddie. That was the first thing I said to him, how it was ironic that he was an editor and his name was Eddie." As he spoke, his smile faded. It was about to get serious. "We dated for a while, and there was a spark. We were in love. But then, one night, we went on a date, and when we left the restaurant, these three guys beat the living crap out of us. I was fine after that, but Eddie... Eddie died that night, with an engagement ring in his pocket." Kurt's voice cracked at the end, and a single tear fell out his eye. Angels shouldn't weep.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. That's horrible," I said. Before I could stop myself, I rubbed his back. He tensed for two seconds under my hand, but then he relaxed. I could feel his muscles. He must have been a dancer or a cheerleader or something.

"Yeah, it is. After a couple months of being alone, I realized I wanted a child. So I found a surrogate mother and thus Bella was born," Kurt smiled. "She filled the hole in my life."

"I know what that's like. After James left, all I had to do was look at my Ava Rae, and everything was okay, you know?"

"Exactly." All hints of sadness were gone from Kurt's face, and he was smiling the smile that reminded me of laughing unicorns and frolicking puppies. Pure happiness.

"Okay!" I said loudly, getting up from my seat on the bench. "Who wants a grilled cheese?"

* * *

"Thank you for having us over, Blaine," Kurt said as he collected Bella and walked out the door.

"Oh, anytime, Kurt, anytime," I told him. "Hey, it's getting dark. I don't think you guys should be walking home. Come on, I'll drive," I announced, grabbing Ava Rae and the keys.

"Are you sure? You don't have to," Kurt said.

"I insist, come on," I said, walking out the door to the driveway.

Sweet staccato, who do did that to my car?

There were eggs dripping and slipping all over the windows. I checked the windshield for any nasty notes the perpetrator might have left. There weren't any notes on the car, but it stank like hell.

"Um, you know what? I'll call you guys a cab... and I'll pay," I announced, heading back to the house for my wallet. Kurt looked speechless, and he gave me a sympathetic look. I shrugged. "It happens."

When the cab got to the house, I gave Kurt a $20 and told him to call me anytime. As soon as Ava Rae was fast asleep in her room, I buried my face in my pillow and screamed at the top of my lungs. I knew exactly who did this to my car.

James was back.


	4. The Nose Knows

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for your reviews! They're like, story fuel :P So, this took me a while to write cuz I didn't know where to take the story next. Yeah, surprise, I'm winging it. I know, I know, it's unprofessional, but what can I say? I'm in eighth grade.

SHOCKER! I KNOW! Haha... but yeah...

But anyway, I didn't think anyone was gonna like the story.. so it's pretty awesome that you guys are responding so positively. It's my motivation. :)

Besides the fact that I'm totally winging it right now, I really think you guys will enjoy the twist in this chapter. It's kinda awesome. Unexpected. :) Okay, enjoy!

* * *

I lived in caution for the next few days. I didn't know exactly who egged my car, but if it was James, I had to keep an eye on Ava Rae at all times.

I couldn't help thinking, oh, God, what if he wants to take her away from me? Ava Rae was my pride and joy. She was the only thing that kept me from curling up and dying. I couldn't even imagine what would happen to me if I didn't have her around.

Besides the possibility of James's return, there was another thing that scared the gel out of my hair.

What was with my sudden infatuation with Kurt Hummel? I had just met the guy, and I was already deep in like. He was nice, he was a single father with a respectable job that he loves, he was funny, and he was also very attractive. Like, really attractive. Seriously, I don't think it's fair.

However, legally, I was still married to James, and he still had custody over Ava Rae. This means, if he wanted to, he could come around and take her away from me.

_She's yours, and she'll be fine without me._

I pushed those horrible memories away. He didn't want her, and he didn't need her. So she was safe.

I still didn't want him around. I didn't want him coming back and I didn't want him to see us. So I made a decision. As soon as I got home from work, I would call my lawyer. James wouldn't keep my last name for long.

* * *

"Daddy!" Ava Rae's voice woke me up once again. "Daddy, your phone's ringing," she said, a little quieter.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," I said sleepily. Ava was standing at the edge of my bed with my vibrating cell phone in her hand. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I answered. There was an unfamiliar voice at the other end of the line. Some doctor from the hospital in town, the same hospital where Ava Rae was born.

"Yes, my name is Doctor Chang from Lima Hospital. Is this Blaine Anderson?" Oh, God, what could the doctor want with me?

"This is he. Is there a problem? Is someone hurt?" I was panicking now, thinking of all the people I knew who could be hurt. Oh, God, what if it was Kurt or Bella?

"I'm aware that you have a daughter by a surrogate mother, correct?"

"Yes, she's five years old, why?"

"Her mother was in a dangerous car accident," Doctor Chang said. No, no, this couldn't happen. "She needs a serious surgery. Now, there is a very large possibility that she could survive the surgery, but she has lost a lot of blood. We are going to operate right away. After the surgery she's going to need someone to take care of her. She gave us your name. I hope you don't mind coming and taking her home with you when we finish the surgery."

"Sure, sure, um, when can I see her?" I hadn't seen her in so long, I needed to make sure she was alright.

"Of course, you won't be able to see her until we finish the operation, but how's tomorrow, at four?"

"Oh, yeah, I can do that." It would mean not sleeping tonight, but sure, why not.

"Okay, thank you."

"Thank you, Doctor Chang. See you soon." I ended the phone call and flopped down on the bed.

"What happened, Daddy?" Ava Rae asked curiously as she climbed up on the bed.

"Someone is hurt, and she's at the hospital. We're going to go see her tomorrow after school, okay? She's going to stay with us for a few weeks."

"Okay," Ava Rae said. If only she knew she was going to meet her mother.

All that night, all I could think was, _shit, Rachel. You don't talk to me in four years, and then you go and get into a car accident. _That and, _Rachel, if you die, I'm going to kill you._

* * *

I'd convinced my neighbor to babysit Ava Rae until I came back. I figured she shouldn't meet her mother like this. Rachel looked broken there in her hospital bed. There were bandages everywhere and there was a long scratch down her arm. This was Rachel Berry, the mother of my child. She looked like a doll that was chewed up by some heartless dog. It broke my heart.

"So, how did this happen?" I asked, looking down at my hands.

"Well I felt bad about my disappearance, and I wanted to see you," she said. Her voice was rough and tired. "Both of you. So I was on my way to your house for a little then some jerk cut me off. I swerved and the car flipped over. I think that's when I passed out. I don't remember anything else."

"Did you see the guy who cut you off?" Whoever it was, I wanted him to pay. Rachel could've died. She could've _died._

"He had tinted windows. I couldn't see," she remembered. She reached out to pat my hand. "But I'm okay, Blaine. Now enough about me, how have you both been?" I never thought Rachel Berry could ever be selfless. But there she was, in a hospital bed, after an emergency procedure, in which she could've died, and she was asking about my life.

"Did you hit your head a little too hard?" I asked, just kidding.

"No, like I said, I'm fine. But after almost dying, I realized I was way too selfish. And yes, it does hurt me to try, but hopefully it's working?"

"Yes it is, actually. You are slightly less annoying now," I joked.

Rachel laughed. "Come on, let's hear about the last four years," she urged.

"Okay, well, James walked out on us a few months ago, and we haven't heard from him since. I don't even think he's bothered to call a lawyer yet," I said, remembering that I hadn't called one either.

"Oh, Blaine!" Rachel moaned. "I'm so sorry. I should've been there for you. I'm sorry," she said. She was crying.

"Rach, don't cry. I'm okay. I mean, yeah, I'm heartbroken, but I'm fine, really. I'm getting through it, just like anything else," I said. It was harder for me to believe it than it was for her.

"No, I mean, I should've been in your lives. I really wish I could've been there for you guys. I'm so sorry," Rachel sobbed.

"Rachel, it's okay." She cried even harder. "It's okay, really. Stop crying, please." I was choking up as well.

"Okay, okay. Alright." Rachel took a deep, jagged breath. "So, tell me more about Ava Rae. Who does she look more like?"

"She looks and acts a lot more like me, but she has your nose. And your singing voice. We sing while we cook, and I swear her voice is like pure gold. It's amazing," I mused.

"Aw, I want to see her soon. I miss her. I bet she's gotten so big! Is she doing well in school?"

"She is a wonderful student. She was almost Student of the Month, but she lost to a girl named Bella, who is now her best friend." I laughed. "You should see them together. They're inseparable."

"I'm sorry, did you say 'a girl named Bella?'" she asked tentatively. There was an unreadable expression on her face.

"Um, yeah, why? Do you know her?"

"It depends. I mean, I'm sure there's only one Bella in Lima, being that it's the size of a used tissue, but I could be wrong," she shrugged it off way too quickly. Something was obviously going on here. "You said they're best friends? So you must know her parents?"

"Yes, I know her father. He's attractive. Do you know him?"

"Um, him?" Rachel pointed out of the small room into the hallway.

Well, damn. There was Kurt, standing right there outside the window, staring at me in shock. He must have been as confused as I was. What was he doing here, and how did he know Rachel?

Kurt opened the door, blushing. He ignored my presence at first, which actually didn't bother me. Rachel came first. At least, for right now.

"What the hell, Rachel! Are you alright? Please tell me you're alright. What happened?" Kurt's expression went from angry, to sad, to hurt, to angry again. I sat quietly until Rachel was done telling Kurt about her accident, then decided I should ask what was going on.

"So, how do you two know each other?" I asked casually, though my curiosity was seriously killing my cat. Not like I had a cat, but if I had, my curiosity would be killing it.

Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Kurt beat Rachel to it. "Rachel is Bella's mother," he explained quickly.

Whoa. That made no sense. Rachel and Bella were in the same grade. They were roughly the same height. They showed the same level of intelligence. So, they were at least 9 months apart? I didn't think so. Not only that, but how could it be possible that out daughters were half sisters and Kurt and I had never met? Like I said, I didn't think so.

"What? Rachel, how is this even possible?" I asked, eyes wide, staring at Rachel.

"How is what even possible? What's happening? How do you know Rachel, Blaine?" Kurt asked as if his life depended on it.

"Well, remember how I said I hadn't seen Ava Rae's mother in a while?" I pointed to Rachel. "Found her."

"Rachel's your surrogate? How?" Kurt's eyebrows knitted together. He was cute when he was confused.

"I'm asking the same thing, here. Rachel, you've got some explaining to do, I believe?"

Rachel's head was down, as if she was avoiding the situation. "Okay, fine! Kurt, Ava Rae's birthday is January the twenty second. Blaine, Bella's birthday is November the seventh of the same year. I'm not saying it wasn't extremely hard to get pregnant right after I gave birth, but it happened. I just loved seeing the look on Blaine's face when Ava Rae was born. He was just so happy, and it made me feel good. So I wanted to give someone else the joy of a child. Eventually Kurt called me with a very weird offer that I couldn't say no to. I couldn't say no! I love Bella and Ava Rae. And I'm sorry for disappearing. I didn't mean to. I wanted to be in their lives. But I had to leave Lima for a while. I'm back now, see? Everything is okay."

"So you didn't want to tell us that our daughters had half-sisters out there?" Kurt spoke up. His tone wasn't angry, but he was obviously not happy.

"I'm sorry! Okay? I'm sorry," Rachel cried. She started sobbing again, and Kurt walked over to rub her back.

"Rachel, it's okay. You should've said something, though. But what's done is done. The real question is, how are we supposed to tell the girls?" Kurt sighed.

"They're very smart girls. They would understand if we just told them straight," I suggested.

"You know what? You're right, Blaine. But I still would like to see my daughters?" Rachel's voice came up at the end like a question.

"Oh, of course. We can have like, a playdate Saturday. How does that look to you, Blaine?" Kurt's voice was a little...suggestive. Sweet staccato, I'd take a playdate with him any day.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Rachel cut in. "Saturday is five days away. I want to see them as soon as possible," Rachel demanded. I gave Kurt a look that said, _oh, jeez, here we go. _He rolled his eyes in agreement.

"Well, since you're coming home with me, you'll see Ava Rae almost immediately. But Bella you won't see until Saturday. Can't change that," I said, shrugging. Kurt and Rachel looked at each other with the same look on their face.

At the same time, they blurted out, "SLUMBER PARTY!" They threw their hands in the air. I looked at them like they had five eyes.

"Think about it, Blaine. Rachel and I could meet you, Bella and Ava Rae after school on Friday and we can all go to your house together. Then we can have popcorn and eat ice cream and such, it'd be fun!"

It wasn't that. This was Ava Rae's first friend, of course I wanted her to have a nice little slumber party. And Rachel hadn't seen either of her daughters in four years. I had no problem with them. The elephant in the room that no one was talking about was the tiny detail that Kurt Hummel, in all his glory, would be sleeping in my house.

"Actually, that's a great idea. I actually can't wait for Bella and Ava Rae to meet you," I said to Rachel. Suddenly, I had an idea. I turned to Kurt. "Hey Kurt?

"_Oui?"_

_He speaks French!_ I swooned to myself. "You wouldn't happen to have a picture of Bella in your wallet, would you?"

"Duh! I'm a single father, what do you expect?" Kurt said sarcastically, pulling out his wallet. There was a school photo of Bella with her hair in a ponytail, smiling against a fake city backdrop, clearly chosen by Kurt. I pulled out my wallet and compared my picture of Ava Rae to Bella's picture. "Huh," I said softly.

"What is it, Blaine?" Kurt asked anxiously.

"Same nose."

* * *

A/N Well, I hope you enjoyed the twist, here. Now I know it's unrealistic for Rachel to have two daughters in the same year, but it happened, OKAY? And yeah, they have the same nose. And it's adorable on them. I don't know where I'm taking this next, honestly. All I know is, someone is making a comeback. But don't ask for hints cuz I kinda don't know who (yet). It could be anybody.

Mercedes? Blaine's homophobic dad?(though really homophobic means "scared of men..." so...) Burt and Carole? Finn? JAMES!?

We'll see. :)

Thanks for reading!

mrsmuppet


	5. Happy Tears

A/N: Your reviews are so nice! :)) Thank you. BTW, if you happen to see a guest reviewer who goes by the name of A, I promise you aren't being stalked like in Pretty Little Liars. It's just my best friend. Hi, A!

I would just like to discuss what just happened on Glee. I cannot believe Blaine cheated on Kurt. At that point, I was crying hysterically. You don't understand. Just, hysterical crying. They can't break up. They just can't. Kurt is never saying goodbye to Blaine. He said so. In like, two different seasons. And did you see Blaine crying when he was singing Teenage Dream? Oh, my god, there were waterworks up in here. But I promise you, there shall be no cheating in this story.

Or will there?

I would also like to discuss the fangirl episode I had a few days ago. You see, there is a wonderful author on this website who writes the best Klaine fanfiction I have ever read. (send me a link to your fanfiction so I can read that, too!) Her name is PickingViolets. So I sent her a nice little PM asking her to read Somewhere Only We Know. And she read it and she sent me a PM and she reviewed me.

I almost peed my damned pants.

But yeah. Thanks, V! Go read her stories. Especially A Fresh Start. You won't regret it. I swear.

BTW: I'm reading the following stories literally right now:

A Collection of Klaine by The Other

Step Brothers by A.R.D

Safe Now by KlaineKissesForAll

and All We Ever Wanted by PickingViolets

* * *

Rachel moved in with us the next day. It was kind of weird. I mean, I loved Rachel. Like a sister. But I hadn't seen her in so long. It's like when you love a song, and you listen to it so much that you know all the lyrics, all the drum beats, all the guitar riffs. And then a new album comes out and you ignore the other song. And then the old song comes back on the radio, and even though you haven't listened to the song in maybe even years, you still know all the words. You know?

Yeah. It was like that. Even though she was less selfish, she was the same old Rachel. Always happy, looking on the bright side. But most importantly, Rachel wouldn't shut up. She was either talking, or singing, or doing that think when you talk while you sing. She talked in her sleep. She said weird things like, "School" and "daughters" and "don't hit me". That part scared me. Her car flipped over, she wasn't hit. Which means someone was hitting her before.

That was definitely something that needed to be addressed. If someone was hitting her, she needed help. She couldn't go back to wherever she was. I couldn't let her. I almost lost her. I wasn't going to lose her again.

* * *

I didn't want to leave Rachel alone while she was still kind of sore. I decided to talk to the principal of the school and see if she would at least let me take this week off to take care of Rachel.

"Hello, Ms. Sylvester. It's Blaine Anderson. May I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure you can, shorty. What's on your mind?" Ah, another ingenious response from Sue Sylvester.

"Well, a very close friend of mine was in a car accident this week. She has nowhere else to go, and I was wondering if I could take this week off to take care of her," I asked, crossing my fingers.

"What's her name, knee-high to a grasshopper?"

"Rachel Berry?"

"Well damn. Rachel Berry is back in town. Barbara was a former student of mine. Sure, you can have this week off. But let me tell you something, hair gel. Take care of Barbara Streisand. And when you come back, I want a report on how annoyingly talkative she is. Okay?"

"Um, sure? But who's Barbara?"

Sue sighed. "Tell Frodo I said hey, alright, hobbit? Enjoy your vacation."

"Thank you Ms. Sylvester."

"You're welcome, tight-shirt." And with that, the line clicked dead.

Tight shirt? Did I wear tight shirts? I didn't wear tight shirts.

* * *

Explaining Rachel to Ava Rae started when Ava Rae came running in the door after school. She had that look on her face that said, "I'm sad but I 'm not going to say anything because there are other people around. But as soon as the neighbor who dropped me off leaves I'm going to bawl my face off."

Yeah, she might've gotten that from me, too.

"Thanks, Mr. Schuester," I called after him, scooping Ava into my arms so that her back was to Rachel, who was sitting silently on the couch. _Go hide_, I mouthed to her. She scrambled up and went into the kitchen.

"Alright, princess, what's wrong?" I said, sitting her on the couch and squatting in front of her. Her lip quivered, and she burst into tears. I could just barely hear Rachel gasp in the kitchen.

"The fourth graders were making fun of me because I don't have a mommy! They said I am a freak because I have two daddies, and that I am a bigger freak because Papa isn't here anymore," Ava sobbed.

Damn those fourth graders. How dare they make fun of my daughter, when they don't know the first thing about her life? They don't know where she's been, what she's been through, what she's had to deal with. I felt the sudden urge to hit something.

"Ava Rae, you listen to me," I said. Ava sniffed and nodded. Her hazel eyes were still red and shiny. "You are not a freak. Do you understand?" Ava nodded. "They make fun of you because they don't understand you. They don't understand how special you are. There are people like that in the world. They are going to tease you, and make fun of you, because you're not like them. But it's okay, because what they say isn't true. Just because you may not have something that they have does not mean that you're any less important, or less special. You are special, and beautiful, and ticklish," I added, tickling her. "Okay?"

"But Daddy, how come I don't have a mommy like the rest of them?" Ava sniffed. I wiped away a tear on her cheek.

I grabbed a tissue and held it over Ava Rae's nose. "Blow," I commanded.

"Sweetie, you do have a mommy!" Rachel burst out of the kitchen. There were tear stains on her face and her voice was thick. I gave her a _what the hell, Rachel?_ look. I bet she got that look a lot.

"Daddy? Who is she?" She put on the face that said _I'm still upset but since this lady just burst in I think I'll just try and pretend everything is alright._

She sure does take after her father.

"Um, well, remember how I said what the fourth graders said isn't true?"

"Yes, you said I am special. But she says I have a mommy."

"Well, there she is. Ava Rae, this is your mother," I said quietly. Ava Rae's eyes widened. Then, suddenly. she jumped up and wrapped her arms around Rachel. A tear silently fell out of my eye.

"Hi," Rachel said, almost inaudible.

It was one of those moments where you just had to stand and watch the miracle unfold. This was the moment I had been dreaming of for four years. I've been waiting for this since Rachel went AWOL. I've always wanted Rachel in Ava Rae's life. A daughter needs her mother. A mother needs her daughter. A special warmth spread through my chest. I knew exactly what this feeling was. This was the feeling I got when I made Ava Rae pancakes, or when I tied her shoes, or when she woke me up in the morning, or when she asks for a hug for no reason.

This was the sense of happiness, of family. It felt like in that moment, though the walls were crumbling and the floor was sinking, everything would be just fine.


	6. All She Wanted

A/N: Sorry I took so long! I didn't mean to, I swear! But I had tests all week last week and then Hurricane Sandy wiped out my internet for a while. I'm back though!

Yeah, here on the East Coast, things are pretty bad. There's a lot of flooding and my power was out for a good five hours. Things are slowly coming back together, being normal again. I go back to school on Monday. I'm just grateful we didn't have it as bad as others who lost their homes, their belongings, their lives. So pray for them!

* * *

Rachel, Ava Rae and I were like a real family. Like a real, actual family. Something I've never had growing up. We ate together at the table, we helped Ava Rae with her cute-first-grade homework. We played board games. We tucked Ava Rae in at night.

And there was a LOT of tickling.

On Wednesday, I decided to confront Rachel about the weird stuff she said in her sleep. If someone was hurting her, she wasn't leaving this house.

I found Rachel writing in her journal in the guest room. She was scrunched up in the recliner by the window, chewing on the end of her pen thoughtfully. I smiled and sat on the bed.

"Hey, Rachel."

"Hey, Blaine. What's up?" Rachel slid off the recliner and sat next to on the bed.

"Oh, nothing. You know, you talk in your sleep?" Rachel put her face in her hands.

"Oh, good gravy, what did I say this time?"

"Well, you were talking about someone hitting you. Do you want to talk about it?" I dropped my head to look her in the eye.

Rachel was silent for a few painful moments as the smile faded from her face. Suddenly, she broke down crying. I wrapped my arms around her and held her until she was ready to speak.

"Oh, Blaine. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"Rachel, stop apologizing and tell me what's wrong. Is someone hitting you? Is it Ronnie?" I asked. Rachel shook and nodded.

Ronnie was the guy she'd been seeing right before she dropped off the face of the Earth. He was really tall, really funny, but still really arrogant and obnoxious. As soon as I realized what a jerk he was, he stopped being attractive. When Rachel first disappeared, my theory was that she'd run away with him.

"What happened?"

"We were living in Manhattan in an apartment the size of a Skittle. You know, when I 'mysteriously disappeared'? Yeah, I ran away with him." Bingo. "It was magical for the first few months. I was living off of the money he was making. I didn't have a job; I didn't have to work. I didn't have to do anything but sit in our apartment all day and be in love with him. And that's what I did," Rachel sighed and took a deep, jagged breath. "That's when he started drinking." Good Lord, a drunk jackass was hitting Rachel for four years? "I know, I know. I know what you're thinking. He was hitting me for four years and I didn't leave?"

"So you did try to get away from him, right?"

"Yes. Yes I did. I stayed with friends, I stayed at motels; every time, he found me. Every time, it got worse. After a while, I stopped running. He got help, he apologized and he stopped hitting me. And it was all good for the next year or so. By this time, Ava Rae and Bella were about four and three, respectively. Then there was this one night and it happened all over again." Rachel started crying again.

"I need you to tell me about what happened that night," I prompted.

"I ran into an old friend of mine- Sam. He was in my high school glee club. I sat down with him at this diner in Brooklyn, and Ronnie found me. Again. I tried to tell him that Sam was just a friend, but Ronnie has this complex about him. He gets nervous when I hang around anyone with male genitalia. Ronnie made a big scene and he punched Sam in the face. Sam had a broken nose and he was on the floor, out cold. And I couldn't do anything about it because Ronnie was dragging me out of the diner. That night, he threw everything he could get his hands on, all at me. I was bruised and cut and hurt and I sat there in a helpless heap on the floor. The next day, when Ronnie was at work, I decided it was enough. I took my car and I drove all the way here, until that jerk cut me off." Rachel plopped her head on my shoulder.

"Rachel, look at me." I held her chin up so she could look me in the eye. "Thank you. For telling me that. For leaving him. For trusting me enough to look after you, and for being such a good mother to Ava Rae. I want you to live here with us. You're not setting foot in the state of New York until Ronnie is dead. Do you understand? I don't want him to find you again," I admitted. "I need you, and Ava Rae needs you, and Bella needs you, too. You need us."

Rachel gave a wry laugh. "I do need you, all of you. For the first time in four years, I have a family. And I'm not leaving, you can count on that. I can't go back. I won't go back." I wiped a tear off of Rachel's cheek. "Thank you for letting me stay here, and for letting me meet my daughter, and for protecting me. You're a good best friend."

"Aww," I said. "Come here." We hugged for a really long time, until Ava Rae screamed "Mommy!" from here room. Rachel pulled back.

"Duty calls," Rachel laughed. She was walking towards the door when I realized I had one last thing to say.

"Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming back," I said. I meant it.

Rachel smiled. "It's all I've ever wanted."


	7. As If My Life Didn't Suck Enough

A/N: I like reviews. :)

Especially smiley1014's review. Thanks, dahlink! Yeah, that's a nice person right there.

Want to know my secret, everyone?

A thesaurus.

Warning: language. Anger. Man-Stealing.

Kbye! Enjoy.

* * *

That night, Rachel and I were sitting on the couch after putting Ava Rae to sleep when my phone started singing (quite loudly), "TONIGHT WILL BE THE NIGHT THAT I WILL FALL FOR YOU, OVER AGAIN, DON'T MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND, I WON'T LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY, I SWEAR IT'S TRUE! BECAUSE A GIRL LIKE YOU IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND, YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND!"

I froze.

That was James's ringtone.

I didn't know what he would want with me now, after he'd abandoned me. I didn't know what he would say, or what he would do. All I knew was that, besides the hatred I felt for him, I wanted to hear his voice. So, stupidly, I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I answered shakily. Much to my surprise (and disappointment), the voice that answered was not James. It was another male voice, one that was just vaguely familiar and obviously arrogant.

"Well, well. Blaine Anderson. I trust you enjoyed your eggs?" the man said. It was_ him_. This was the man who had egged my car. Anger bubbled in my chest, made me get up and pace the floor.

"Who are you, and why did you egg my car, and why are you with my husband, and what do you want from me?" I asked rapidly, my voice dripping with venom.

"Oooh, scary Blaine. Alright, I'm going to answer your questions, and then we're going to have a chat. So, here goes. I'm Sebastian. I egged your car because I wanted to. I'm with your husband because I want him. He left you for me, because he wants me. As for what I want from you, well, I don't know yet. I just wanted you to be extremely mad. Is it working?" Sebastian... Sebastian?

_Sebastian._

He was the one who went around fucking everyone's boyfriend back in high school. He walked around drunk, high, and conceited. Though Sebastian brought an amazing voice to the Dalton Academy Warblers, not only did I spend my junior and senior years declining his multiple approaches, I also kept my distance. A very large distance. Idiocy can be contagious.

"You know what? Keep James. Fuck him till he bleeds." It happens. "I don't care. But if you bring your stupid hair near my house and my family ever again, you will regret the day you pulled your tiny wank out of your pants. Got it?" At that point, I was practically screaming into the phone. I didn't want to wake Ava Rae, but I couldn't contain it anymore. I was beyond mad. I was enraged, infuriated, aggravated, and I was ready to give up.

"I like a challenge," said the man-stealing whore. "But for right now, I'm just going to let you enjoy your eggs. But know this," he said smoothly. "I will be back."

The line went dead as he hung up. All I could do was sink down onto the linoleum and cry. And I cried as hard as I could for a good five minutes before Rachel came to ask what's wrong.

"He's with someone else, Rachel," I choked out between sobs. "This really dumb dickhead named Sebastian. James is with Sebastian, and now Sebastian is trying to ruin my life. I just- I just don't understand. I was the best husband to James before he left, and now his new boyfriend has come back to stalk me? What did I do?"I sobbed.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. One," she said, "we are going to call Kurt."

"What does Kurt have to do with this? He shouldn't be involved, he could get hurt. That's the last thing I need right now."

"I knew it. You like him." I rolled my eyes, but denied nothing.

"Yeah, I do, which is why we should get him mixed into this. If he gets hurt, I couldn't live with myself." I sighed. The tears subsided then, but I still couldn't breathe.

"No, we're calling Kurt. Listen, his brother, Finn, is a lawyer. He can help you divorce James and get a restraining order against the both of them. That's the only way to protect all of us." Rachel snatched my phone out of my hand and began to dial Kurt's number.

"Put him on speaker," Rachel requested. The ringing sounded extremely ominous, resonating through the house.

"Hey, Blaine," Kurt answered. Damn, that voice.

"Hi, Kurt. Um, you're on speaker. Rachel's sitting next to me."

"Hi Kurt! We need to ask a favor of you, if you don't mind," Rachel chirped.

"Um, okay? What?"

"We need you to call Finn. It's important," Rachel said.

"Why? What's wrong? Blaine, are you alright?" The butterflies chased away the anger as I heard the anxiety in is voice. He cares.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about it. I just really need a lawyer right now..."

"I would come over now, but Bella's asleep, and I don't want to wake her up and all that... But tomorrow, I'm coming over first thing after I drop her off at school. We can call Finn together," Kurt suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed.

"Alright, so I'll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep, okay? Goodnight," Kurt said. He sounded like he was upset that I was upset. He cares.

"Goodnight," Rachel and I said in unison.

"You should get some sleep," Rachel suggested, getting up and lending me a hand.

"I don't even know if I can sleep, knowing that this jerk knows where I live."

"Well, try. It's late. Take some sleeping pills or something. You need some rest, after all this." She was right. I needed rest.

I trudged up the stairs to the bathroom. In the cabinet there was a small, blue bottle filled with Tylenol PM. I swallowed one on my way to my bedroom and waited for it to carry me to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know. It was short. And it sounded like that chapter from Twilight. Sorry. But at least now you can stop waiting for this chapter, and now you know who egged Blaine's car, and now you know that Finn is coming back, and all that good stuff. Right? Good? Yes?

Song: Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade. Love. Him.

Okay, now I can write my next chapter. I have ideas in my head, and so far, it's a doozy.

Who came up with the word "doozy", anyway? LOL.

Happy Reading!

mrsmuppet


	8. Family

A/N: Here goes nothing.(All you Never Shout Never fans, I need to know that you got that reference.)

By the way, in the story, let's say it's the week after Bella's birthday, so it's almost Christmas (hint). Just so you know where we're at. So that would make Ava Rae and Bella both six at the same time, until January when Ava turns seven. I know in chapter one I said Ava Rae was almost six. Sorry. I meant six.

I know I'm taking a long time between chapters. A lot of stuff is going on. In the story, in my life, in the world... crazy. This one is long.

* * *

Those sleeping pills worked, because I woke up to Rachel and Ava Rae standing over me.

"Why rn't you... 'n school?" I asked my daughter groggily.

"Mommy called the school and told them I wasn't coming. Ms. Sylvester said Mrs. Rose would mark me present. So it's like I'm there, but I'm not." Rachel smiled and pulled her close.

"Kurt did the same thing for Bella, so they're going to come over here. I'm going to have a playdate with my daughters and you're going to a diner with Kurt and Finn to talk."

"Wait! Bella is my sister?" Rachel stopped talking. We forgot about that.

"Um, yeah. Bella is your sister. You both have the same mother, but not the same father," I explained to my six-year old. God, that was hard.

"AWESOME!" she screamed as she ran out the room.

Well, it wasn't that hard.

"When did you do all this?" I asked, waking up. Rachel shrugged.

"While you were asleep. It was pretty easy. You sleep like a baby." Thank you, Tylenol PM. "Anyway, get up, take a shower, get dressed, all that great morning goodness. I told Kurt I would call when he could drop Bella off."

"Wait, we're forgetting one very significant detail here. How are we going to tell Bella you're her mother, too?" I questioned Rachel.

"I have it figured out. Kurt has already prepared Bella to meet her mother. I'm just going to introduce myself and that will be the end of that. Hopefully she'll like me," Rachel thought aloud. I opened my mouth to tell her something like, _How could she not like you?_, but Rachel spoke before I could say anything. "You need to get ready. Like now," Rachel said, pulling me out of bed and shoving me into my bathroom.

While the shower was warming up, I stared at myself in the fogging mirror and thought about everything that had happened to me in the past year. My husband left with no explanation (though that explanation was obvious now), my daughter started first grade, and I met the man of my dreams. I reconnected with the mother of my child and basically rescued her from an abusive relationship, and I found out that my daughter has a half-sister (whose father is said man of my dreams).

Under the showerhead, most things made sense to me. The only thing that didn't make sense was Sebastian. I didn't understand what he wanted from me or what made him need to torture me. I hadn't seen Sebastian since high school. Why me, why now, when my life is already falling apart? The thought of him and what he could be planning for me made me sick.

Suddenly, a fist pounded on the door. "Blaine! Hurry up! God, what are you doing?"

"Jeez, Rach, I'm coming. God."

I dressed quickly then, without thinking. I figured whatever I wore was good enough, since I threw out those hideous dark-colored skinny jeans. I looked down at myself though, just in case. I was wearing a fitted black v-neck t-shirt and dark blue (non-whore-ish) jeans. Yup, I was good.

"Rachel?" I called on my way down the stairs. "You can call Kurt now, I'm good."

"'Kay!" Rachel called from the kitchen. I sniffed the air, which was unusually sweet. I heard the sizzling of the batter on the pan. Pancakes.

"Oooooooohh, pancakes!" I screamed, scrambling into the kitchen. Rachel turned around. There was flour in her bangs.

"No, no, no. These pancakes are for me and my daughters. You can partake in the pancakes at the diner with Kurt and Finn." Rachel scolded. I sagged my head and trudged out of the kitchen, muttering.

"Daddy?" Ava Rae asked, though I couldn't see her. She was probably in her hiding spot, which was in a small corner between the couch and the wall. I knelt on the couch so that I could look over the top and see her.

"Yes, baby?"

"Is Bella really my sister? My real-life, actual sister?" Ava Rae asked, her face hopeful as ever.

"Yes. Bella is your real life, actual sister," I replied, begging her with my mind not to ask, _but how, Daddy? _Just as she opened her mouth, the doorbell rang. "Come," I said, holding my arms out so she could get out from behind the couch. "We can get the door together. Jeez, you're getting big," I commented, lifting Ava over the couch with _some_ effort.

When I opened the door, there was a tall man standing there with Kurt and Bella. He had short, messy hair that contradicted his otherwise professional outfit. I guessed that was Finn.

"Hey, Blaine!" Kurt's voice made my heart melt, and I mumbled something that sounded like _"Kurt"._ Suddenly, I couldn't remember my manners and I just stood there, staring at him. Dammit! Kurt's power to make me incoherent wasn't fair at all. I couldn't find my voice until Finn shifted uncomfortably, jerking me out of my daydream. Kurt cleared his throat.

"Oh, right. Sorry," I stuttered. "Please, come in," I said, gesturing. Kurt nodded and stepped in, ever so gracefully, while Finn walked in with Bella on his hip.

We sat on the couch in a somewhat awkward silence, waiting for Rachel to meet her daughter. I excused myself to the kitchen to see what was wrong with Rachel.

I poked my head through the door. There was Rachel, sitting with her head in her hands.

"Hey," I said softly. "Kurt, Finn and Bella are here." Rachel took at deep breath, and then I could tell she was crying.

"Hey," I repeated, rubbing her back. "What's wrong?"

"I feel _horrible. _I haven't seen my daughters in four years, and now I'm back. Bella won't remember me. What if she doesn't take it like Ava did? What if this whole thing only confuses her?" Rachel sighed.

"Rachel. Rachel, look at me." I held Rachel's chin and forced her to look me in the eye. "She's six. Do you honestly think that meeting her now will make her resent you? She doesn't even know what resentment is. If anything, she'll be even less confused. Remember what happened with Ava?" Rachel nodded, remembering the bullies that teased Ava because she didn't have a mommy. "Ever wonder if Bella is going through the same thing? Wouldn't you want your daughter to be able to go to school and say, 'Hey, you jerk, I do have a mommy'?"

Rachel laughed weakly. "I don't want my six-year-old saying 'jerk'."

"Haha, very funny. Listen, this is the moment you've been waiting for for a week, or maybe even four years," I said, grabbing Rachel's hand and leading her into the living room. Ava Rae and Bella were coloring, while Kurt and Finn were watching them. Bella looked up at Rachel with a hopeful look on her face. Kurt spoke up.

"Um, Bella, remember the conversation we had in the car?" I suspected Kurt was explaining Rachel to Bella. Bella nodded, looking back at her father. "Well, here she is. Bella, this is your mother." Bella looked back at Rachel with wide, bright eyes.

"Hi, Bella," Rachel said quietly. Her voice was still thick from when she was crying. Bella jumped up from her spot on the floor and hugged Rachel.

"Hi, Mommy," she said happily, and suddenly every adult in the room was crying. We were crying because we all knew what this meant. This meant that we had all found each other, and that we were going to be together. What we had now was something that would never fade, never whither. Something stronger than all the fourth graders in the world. Something stronger than all the abusive spouses in the world. What we had was something we would always have.

What we had was a family.

* * *

A/N: I know I said it would be a doozy. I lied. Sorry. I have more coming, but I figured I should just give y'all this to hold y'all over until maybe 2 weeks from now when I update again. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, though!

happy reading!

mrsmuppet


	9. A Rather Fortunate Turn of Events

A/N: Back! Sort of. Not really.

So anyway, now that you know Blaine's feelings and things of that nature, this chapter will be in third person, switching from Kurt and Blaine's perspective. Hope you don't get confused. The whole story will go back and forth between first person Kurt/Blaine and third person Kurt/Blaine. Hope you don't get annoyed.

* * *

"Of course you know that this case is going to be much harder than any other," Finn said gently, dumping a buttload of sugar into his coffee. "Given that you're both males and this is Lima, Ohio. The state government is going to take some time getting used to the fact that same-sex marriage is legal. Consequently, almost every same-sex couple that files for divorce has their file lost, which means they never get the papers to sign, which means they never get a divorce... it's crazy"

Blaine knew that already. Ever since marriage equality was established right about the time he had finished high school at Dalton, there was a boom of couples getting married. Same-sex couples, couples that did the Brangelina thing... it was chaos. Obviously after that there were a lot of same-sex couples filing for divorces that would never happen. State officials went through the papers to make sure that only hetero couples were getting divorces. Any same-sex couples filing for divorce had their papers thrown into the garbage. If anyone asked, their file was lost. This, consequently, made any same-sex couple hesitant to get married in the first place, which, Blaine assumed, was the point of the whole damned thing.

"I get it. I do. I'm just a little bummed that that's how it is, that's all. But there's just one thing. I'm not sure if I can cover all this, financially, I mean." Finn and Kurt both shifted uncomfortably in a way that could only mean they were brothers. "I really appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but- Well, here's the thing. I'm a teacher. A music teacher. I don't get paid much, and I have a daughter and now her mother to take care of... I just don't see how I would be able to pay you-" Kurt raised his hand and cut Blaine off.

"I'll pay for it. We're family now. We might not be a traditional family, being gay plus gay plus two daughters plus surrogate mother,-"

"Plus lawyer, do I count? Come on, dude." Finn interjected.

"-but we're still a family. Don't worry about it," Kurt said.

_I can't do this. He's flawless. I'm going to fall in love with him. I don't know what to do, _Blaine thought._  
_

"Kurt, I can't let you-" Blaine tried.

"Blaine."

"_Kurt."_

"Finn!" said the lawyer, playing with the game.

"Blaine. I'm paying. Shut up and go along, okay?" Kurt persisted. This guy does not give up.

_You know, Blaine, you've been trying to keep your guys' relationship platonic, being that he's the father of your daughter's half sister and best friend. Which is, you know, great for you, taking things slow and all. But look at you, man. You want him. You're not getting any younger and you want him. Hell, even James didn't make you feel like this. Start making some move moves, get your flirt on._

"Okay. Okay, fine. But I'm going to find some way to pay you back," Blaine promised. "I'm not going to let you do this for me for nothing in return."

"I never said you wouldn't have to pay me back," Kurt said with a wink. He blushed. "Um, I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back. Give me like five minutes." And with that he was quickly scrambling along to the bathroom.

"So, man, you're a music teacher," Finn spoke up.

"Yes, yes I am. At McKinley Elementary. Ava Rae and Bella go there," I replied.

"Yeah, cool. I think it's cool that in a rather fortunate turn of events, you guys just happened to find each other. You know?"

"Um, yeah. I think it's really nice that Ava Rae and Bella have become best friends, because now they're completely thrilled with the thought of the whole '_your best friend is in reality your half sister, have fun with that' _kind of th-"

"Okay, that's great and all, lil' dude, but that's not what I meant." Blaine's face went from inspired to confused. "I'm talking about you and Kurt." Finn leaned forward and raised his eyebrows knowingly. "You've got the hots for my baby brother," he whispered.

"Oh, my God," Blaine muttered, exasperated.

"You do, you do, and that's okay. He's hot. I get it. And you didn't hear this from me, but a little birdie whose name rhymes with flurt told me that Kurt likes you back."

"He does?" Blaine asked, almost a little too excited. "I mean, he told you that?"

"Yes he did. Now here's the thing, Blaine. Ready?" Blaine nodded. "Kurt hasn't been with anyone since, um, since Eddie. I don't know if you've done the math or not, but that's six years right there. Kurt hasn't been with anyone for six years. And then there's you. When Kurt talks about you, his whole face, like, explodes or something. It's awesome. You guys are just friends and you already make him happy. This whole thing just works out almost too perfectly. It's almost as if there's someone sitting at their computer right now writing this story about how you and Kurt are magically linked together by fate or karma or something. I don't know what it's called. But anyway, you guys fit. Like a puzzle, or some really cool shoes. I think you should ask him out. I think you're his missing piece."

Blaine took a few seconds to process. Kurt liked him. Kurt talked about him and how much he liked him. And apparently, it was so obvious that they should be together that even Finn was telling him to get his shit together and ask him out.

"So, you're saying... just go for it?" Blaine asked tentatively.

"Yup, that's what I'm saying."

"I think I will."

* * *

So this one was kind of short, but um, I missed you guys. It's been like four months. Well, I don't necessarily have my laptop back, so it's going to be a while in between updates, but I promise, it won't be four months. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Follow me on tumblr, wehateraisns.

Okay bye!

mrsmuppet


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